184: Chapter 184 The Principal Didn't Come to Save Lives
"Stop, everyone stop!"
In the task hall, a resonant shout, full of Qi, rang out like a thunderclap, instantly pressing the pause button on the chaotic situation.
The pushing stopped, the arguing ceased, and everyone froze in place before turning their heads in unison toward the entrance.
Standing in the doorway were three people—two men and one woman: Chen Tianfang, Si Qingyun, and Ji Shuyue.
Three principals had arrived all at once.
Two minutes ago, Si Qingyun and Ji Shuyue had been strolling through the woods, chatting just as they usually did.
There were twelve principals in the school. Unless they had official business to discuss, none of them were close enough to socialize privately.
But Si Qingyun loved to chat with Ji Shuyue; whenever he had time, he would seek her out.
Because Ji Shuyue was beautiful. From twenty years ago, when Si Qingyun first saw her at the Awakening ceremony, he had been stunned by her vibrant and elegant appearance.
At sixteen, her eyes seemed to hold starlight whenever she smiled. Her voice was clear and playful when she spoke, and she walked with her back straight, her every gesture exuding a sense of crisp efficiency.
Even when she laughed heartily, there was no hint of frivolity. Instead, she was like a flower growing toward the sunlight—vibrant, with a charisma that made it impossible for people to look away, deeply captivating the sixteen-year-old Si Qingyun.
Yet at that time, Ji Shuyue already had a War Spirit Master, someone Si Qingyun couldn't afford to provoke.
He thought he had missed his chance with her forever, but he never expected to meet her again twenty years later at the Imperial Capital Martial Arts University.
Now, both of them were unmarried, and he felt his opportunity had finally arrived.
So, every time he came to chat with Ji Shuyue, he would go over the content in his mind beforehand.
To others, it looked like a natural conversation, but only he knew that every reply and every topic was carefully designed with hidden intentions.
Over time, the two gradually became familiar with each other. Now, Si Qingyun felt he could finally sound the horn of victory and pierce that last layer of window paper between them.
Suddenly, both of their wristbands chimed with the sound of incoming messages.
Si Qingyun opened his wristband and saw that it was that guy named Yun Zhuo causing trouble at the Task Management Office.
As for someone who wouldn't live past three days, he couldn't be bothered to care.
He needed to hurry up and confess to Ji Shuyue; that was the real priority.
When Ji Shuyue opened her wristband and saw the message, the corners of her lips curled up slightly. She hadn't seen this little guy for a month, and seeing his name today, she actually missed him quite a bit.
"Are you going?" Ji Shuyue looked at Si Qingyun.
"Huh?" Si Qingyun was taken aback. For some reason, a bad premonition arose in his heart.
"There's a little guy causing trouble at the Task Management Office. If you aren't going, I'm going."
"Wait, I'll go with you." Si Qingyun hurriedly followed.
He had finally waited for an opportunity to confess to Ji Shuyue, and he hadn't expected to have it ruined by someone else.
Just as the two reached the entrance of the Task Management Office, they saw Chen Tianfang running over from afar.
"Isn't that Principal Chen? Why are you here too?"
Chen Tianfang glanced at Ji Shuyue and said expressionlessly, "I'm here to protect that kid this time too, so I'm on the same side as you. No need for that Yin and Yang attitude."
As he spoke, he looked at Si Qingyun. "Principal Si, why are you here too?"
Si Qingyun looked impatient. "I just happened to be in the area."
Then the three of them walked into the task hall together, leading to Chen Tianfang's thunderous shout.
The stunned students, seeing three principals arrive, instantly sobered up. They silently cleared a path for the trio, simultaneously revealing the pile of mush that was Song Houcai.
At this moment, he looked like a rat run over by a carriage wheel, covered in shoe prints and blood, his clothes' original color long since unrecognizable.
But this guy was actually not dead yet. After all, he was an Earth Rank High Grade, Level 37 War Spirit Master, so he still had a breath left in him.
Seeing the three principals arrive, he used his only movable right hand to claw at the floor, crawling forward bit by bit.
Like a bloody mop, wherever he crawled, he left a trail of blood.
"Prin... Principal, save... save me~"
As soon as he finished saying the word, he began to gasp for air, unable to crawl any further.
"What is going on? What exactly is going on here?"
Si Qingyun was shocked by the miserable state of the person before him and subconsciously asked the crowd.
Chen Tianfang had originally intended to just go through the motions and smooth things over, but he hadn't expected to be beaten to the punch by Si Qingyun.
At this moment, a male teacher ran out from the counter of the Task Management Office and explained what had happened to the three of them.
Si Qingyun's eyes began to scan the crowd. "Which one is Yun Zhuo? Step out."
"I am." Yun Zhuo squeezed out from the crowd.
Si Qingyun looked him up and down.
He had heard the name Yun Zhuo a month ago, but only today did he see the real person.
He had to admit, he looked much better than the image of the unlucky guy he had imagined.
At the very least, in terms of temperament and appearance, he was better than anyone he had ever seen.
"You are Yun Zhuo? You heard what this teacher just said, right? Do you have anything to say?"
Si Qingyun also just wanted to go through the motions. It wasn't that Yun Zhuo's temperament had moved him; it was that when they entered, Chen Tianfang had already said he and Shu Yue were here to protect this kid.
Setting aside his relationship with Shu Yue, he was no match for a two-on-one situation, so he might as well do them a favor.
This way, he wouldn't offend Chen Tianfang, and he could earn some favor in front of Shu Yue.
"Principal Si, what this teacher just said is basically true, but this has nothing to do with me. It was that guy." Yun Zhuo pointed at Song Houcai on the ground. "He was the one who was unreasonable first, and everyone couldn't stand it anymore, so they took action."
"Do you have proof?"
"Principal, isn't there surveillance here?"
Si Qingyun nodded, then looked at the teacher who had reported the incident. "You said his thirty A-Grade tasks were cheating. Do you have proof?"
The teacher was instantly dumbfounded. Just hearing that, he knew Principal Si was planning to protect the kid.
But he didn't know the intentions of the other two principals, so he looked up at Ji Shuyue and Chen Tianfang behind Si Qingyun.
Chen Tianfang said irritably, "I told you to speak, so speak. Do you have proof or not?"
The teacher was so scared he shivered. That was it; two principals wanted to protect the kid, so there was no need to look at the meaning of the remaining Principal Ji.
"Three principals, I am not a party involved. This matter has nothing to do with me from start to finish. It was him..."
He pointed at Song Houcai on the ground and said, "It was Song Houcai who, without any evidence, insisted that Student Yun Zhuo cheated and stubbornly refused to process the task settlement.
As a result, when the other students heard that the school could actually operate like this, they realized that if it could be done to Yun Zhuo today, it would certainly be done to them tomorrow, so they were all filled with righteous indignation.
And at that time, not only did Song Houcai not apologize, he dared to curse at the crowd for rebelling, and the result was what you see now. It was all his own doing."
Song Houcai, who was lying on the ground, had originally hoped the three principals would uphold justice for him, but upon hearing this, he suddenly raised his head and pointed at his colleague.
He didn't know if he wanted to speak, but the result was a mouthful of old blood spat onto the person's shoes, and with his head slumped, he completely stopped breathing.
"Alright, alright, the matter is clear." Chen Tianfang said impatiently, "Hurry up and drag this Song Houcai away for medical treatment, and have the cleaners come wash the floor.
As for the rest of you, don't cause any more trouble."
After speaking, he glared fiercely at Yun Zhuo, then looked at Ji Shuyue and Si Qingyun. "Are the two of you not leaving yet?"
Ji Shuyue looked at Yun Zhuo curiously. "You kid, you completed thirty A-Grade tasks in one go—is that for real or not?"